Mushroomy Meat Sauce atop Roasted Eggplant with Spicy Cottage Cheese Puree

Mission empty the fridge/freezer/pantry continues, and it's got my creative juices flowing.

I also may be slightly obsessed with pureeing cottage cheese.  But, hey, there are worse obsessions.  

As are the rules of the emptying the kitchen game, last night's creation was constructed only of ingredients I already had.  If I were to make this same sort of thing some other time, I would likely modify a few things: add garlic cloves, use crushed tomatoes instead of jarred sauce (and then add more of my own seasonings), make the cottage cheese puree with roasted garlic, maybe add some fresh basil...  I'm going to write down the ingredients for what I actually did, which turned out great, but you might want to keep these modification ideas in mind. 

This'll make about four servings.

What you need:

Mushroomy Meat Sauce:

1 pound lean ground beef (I used 96/4... if you can't find that, just make sure to drain out the grease after browning)

1 medium onion, chopped

8 ounces cremini or baby bella mushrooms, diced

1/2 cup red wine

1 1/2 cup pasta sauce, no sugar added if possible (I used arrabiata)

1 teaspoon garlic powder

2 teaspoons Italian seasoning (or your own mixture of dried oregano, basil, thyme)

salt and black pepper

Spicy Cottage Cheese Puree:

1 1/2 cups low fat cottage cheese

2 tablespoons pickled hot crushed peppers*

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

*If you don't have hot pickled crushed peppers, you could sub a bit (definitely not 2 tablespoons) red pepper flakes and a splash of vinegar.  Or use chili-garlic sauce.  

Roasted eggplant:

Olive or coconut oil spray

2 medium eggplants, cut into 1/2-3/4 inch thick rounds

salt and pepper

Start by making the sauce:  Brown the ground beef in a large saucepan or pot over medium-high heat.  Drain if necessary.  Add the onions and mushrooms.  Saute for a 3-4 minutes.  Add the red wine and scrape up anything that was sticking to the bottom.  Add the pasta sauce, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning.  Stir, bring to a boil, and then reduce to low heat.  Cover.  Let simmer for AT LEAST 30 minutes, and up to an hour or so.  If sauce is too watery, remove cover to let it reduce.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Make the cottage cheese puree:  Add all ingredients to a small blender or a food processor and blend until smooth, scraping down and stirring as necessary.  You may need to add a small splash of water to get things going, depending on the power of your blender.  Refrigerate until ready to use.

Roast the eggplant:  Heat oven to 400 degrees.  Spray a baking sheet with olive or coconut oil spray.  Arrange eggplant rounds on the sheet so that they are not overlapping (touching is fine).  Lightly spray the tops with oil.  Season lightly with salt and pepper.  Roast for 30 minutes, or until eggplant is lightly browned and soft.  

To serve:  Arrange a few slices of eggplant on plate, top with meat sauce, and drizzle the cottage cheese puree over the top.  Enjoy!

Roasted Eggplant Strips with Cilantro-Yogurt Sauce and Cilantro-Olive Gremolata

Eggplant is one of my favorite vegetables and roasting or grilling strips of it is one of the tastiest way to make it.  And definitely the quickest.  

Some people say they don't like eggplant.  My guess is that a lot of them just haven't had it cooked right.  The first time I had eggplant was as a child in a casserole, and it was not cooked enough.  And eggplant when it's not cooked enough is not very tasty, no matter what it's got going on for seasoning. 

Cutting the eggplant into fairly thin strips keeps the cooking time low, and takes away some of that "eggplanty" texture that eggplant haters don't like.  

I most often roast the eggplant in the oven, because I often don't have access to a grill, or if I do, the weather is not grill weather.  If you do have a grill and the weather isn't frightening, cut the strips the same way and grill over medium-high until tender.  If you are really short on time (or patience) you can broil the strips in the oven in under ten minutes- just keep a close eye, or you'll end up with charcoal.

Once roasted or grilled, the eggplant makes a great topper for pizza or salad, and is also great just by itself.  Or, you can fancy it up with a couple of delicious sauces like I did here.  I use cilantro in both of my sauces because I happened to have half of a bunch leftover.  I think it worked really well, but if you're not a cilantro fan, or you have half of a bunch of parsley instead, that would be a great substitute.

What you need for the eggplant:

4 small eggplant, or two medium/large

Olive oil spray or olive oil

Salt 

Pepper

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.  Slice the eggplant into ~1/4 inch thick strips or rounds. Lightly spray two baking sheets with olive oil.  Arrange the eggplant slices in a single layer on the baking sheets so that they are not overlapping.  Touching is perfectly fine.  Spray or brush with olive oil.  Season lightly with salt and pepper.  Roast for 20-30 minutes, switching the pans halfway through.  Cooking time will vary based on how thin your strips are.  The eggplant is ready when it is soft and lightly browned.

Serve with the Cilantro Yogurt Sauce and/or the Cilantro-Olive Gremolata.  I placed a small spoonful of the sauce on each strip of eggplant and then rolled them up to eat.  You could spread the sauce across and use a knife if you want to keep your hands clean. 

Enjoy!

What you need for the Cilantro Yogurt Sauce:

1 cup Greek yogurt (2-4% is best, but you can use fat free if you wish)

~1/2 cup chopped cilantro

1 garlic clove, minced

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Mix together all ingredients.  Let sit for at least 20 minutes to let flavors meld.

What you need for the Cilantro-Olive Gremolata:

~2/3 cup chopped cilantro

1/4 cup chopped green olives (I used the ones with pimientos)

1 tablespoon olive oil

1-2 teaspoons lemon juice

1/4-1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

2 garlic cloves, minced

Black pepper and sea salt to taste

Mix together all ingredients.  Let sit for at least 20 minutes to let flavors meld.

Stewed Eggplant

I love eggplant.  In the summer, my favorite way to cook it is just to grill it.  Now that it's getting colder, though, I love to put it into all sorts of stews.  This recipe focuses on the eggplant- there are not a ton of other ingredients to get in the way.  I used cardamon and ginger as my predominant seasonings in this recipe, but you could definitely go with a more Italian-y flavor profile by omitting those and subbing in some basil and oregano.

What you need:

1-2 teaspoons olive oil (or more if you want something richer.  Eggplant and lots of olive oil are delicious, but I wanted to keep this lighter)
1 medium onion, diced
1 inch cube of peeled ginger, diced
3-4 garlic cloves, peeled and diced
1 jalapeno, seeds removed and diced
1 LARGE eggplant (or two medium), cut into 1 inch chunks
1/3 cup red wine or broth
1 medium/large tomato, cut into 3/4 inch chunks
Salt, pepper, and cardamon to taste


Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat.  Add the onion, ginger, garlic, and jalapeno.  Saute for a couple minutes (I cut up the eggplant while these were in the pan).  Add the eggplant and a pinch of salt.  Saute for a few minutes, then add the wine/broth and scrape up any brown bits. Reduce heat to medium or medium-low, and continue cooking, stirring frequently, for 20-30 minutes. The eggplant needs to cook through and should start to fall apart.  Add the tomato, salt, pepper, and cardamon.  Cook for another 5-10 minutes, or until tomato has cooked through.

I left this as is this time, but it would be great topped with a little goat cheese or a full-fat Greek yogurt.  Or try serving with pita chips or as a bruschetta on top of pieces of toasted pita bread.

Baba Ghanoush with Artichoke

This isn't the most authentic baba ghanoush recipe, but it is pretty darn good.  In fact, I think it is the best baba ghanoush I've ever made (good enough that after making it the first time, I made it again two days later).  The boyfriend gave his stamp of approval as well.  

The main differences from traditional baba ghanoush are the addition of artichokes and omission of tahini.  Both changes were circumstantial- I wanted to add a little more bulk to it and happened to have an open can of artichokes, and there is no more tahini in the grocery stores on Saba for the time being- and I'm glad that circumstances were what they were.  This is delicious! 

What you need:

1 medium/large Eggplant

Salt

1 head of Garlic

1-2 tablespoons lemon juice

1/2 cup artichoke hearts, canned in brine

Olive oil

Start by roasting the eggplant and garlic:  You can either roast the eggplant whole or cut it in half.  If whole, poke a few holes in it with a fork.  If cut in half, spray with olive oil and roast cut side down on a baking sheet.  Roast at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for about 30 minutes to an hour, depending on size of eggplant and whether or not you cut it in half.  The flesh should be VERY soft and smushy.  You can roast the garlic right along with the eggplant: cut off the top of the head to expose the tips of the cloves.  Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt.  Roast for 30 minutes.  

Allow the eggplant and garlic to cool.  Scrape the flesh (including the seeds) away from the skin.  Discard skin.  Remove garlic cloves from their papery covering.  Add eggplant, garlic, lemon juice, and artichoke to a blender or food processor.  Add a little water (or the brine from the artichoke) and a drizzle of olive oil.  Pulse to begin blending it.  Add more oil and water (or just oil, but I like to add some water to cut calories) until it can be fully blended.  Season with salt.

Deconstructed Eggplant Parmesan

I was all set to make actual Eggplant Parmesan (albeit a healthy version).  But then my eggplant rounds came out of the oven looking all crispy and delicious and I couldn't bear the risk of them becoming too soggy as part of the casserole.

And besides, why knife and fork a dinner when you dip it or pick it up like pizza?

I can see this going in a lot of different directions in the future... laying out an array of different dipping sauces as a fun party/game food, trying out an Asian-inspired version, or simply enhancing the Italian dip I made this time.

What you need:


For the Eggplant:
2 medium Eggplants, peeled and cut into 1/2 rounds (or try making stick shapes, which is what I would have done if I wasn't still planning on a casserole at this point)
Olive oil spray
1/2 cup Egg beaters (or egg whites, or a few beaten eggs)
1-2 cups Bread crumbs (I used a mixture of regular and panko- would've tried whole wheat if they were easily available here)
1-2 teaspoons Garlic powder
1 teaspoon Black pepper
2-3 teaspoons Season-all (or just a bit of salt)

For the Dipping Sauce: (Also see other suggestions below)
1 24 ounce jar of your favorite Marinara/ Pasta Sauce (or use 3 cups homemade, that'd be tastier, but I was lazy)
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1/4-1/2 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese
Chopped fresh Thyme, Basil, Oregano

Start by heating the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.  Place egg beaters in one bowl.  Mix both bread crumbs, the garlic powder, black pepper, and Season-all on a plate.  Spray a large baking sheet with olive oil.  One by one, dip the eggplant pieces into first the egg beaters and then the bread crumbs, coating all sides.  Place pieces, just barely touching, on the baking sheet.  Continue until you have used all of the eggplant (you may need additional eggs/ bread crumbs- I didn't actually measure mine, and I added a bit at some point, but then didn't finish it all).

Bake for 50 minutes to an hour, flipping once (this is for rounds, reduce time if you cut into sticks).  The pieces should be browned and completely cooked through.  You can slice into one to check- it should be all soft inside.

About 20 minutes before the eggplant is supposed to finish cooking, make the dipping sauce:  Pour the sauce into small-medium casserole dish and top with cheeses and herbs (and any additional seasonings you like- maybe some garlic, black pepper, or red pepper flakes).  Place in the with the eggplant and cook for 15-20 minutes, or until nice and bubbly.

Serve with a spoon in the dipping sauce for slopping over the rounds (and then eat like pizza).  Or cut rounds into slices and dip.  Enjoy!

And some ideas for future dipping:

• Amped Up Italian Dipping Sauce: Same idea as above, but better.  Roast some garlic cloves and mix the roasted cloves into some ricotta cheese.  Spoon ricotta cheese in the bottom of the pan.  Cover with a homemade meat and veggie pasta sauce.  Sprinkle with the mozzarella and Parmesan. Bake. 
• Put out an Italian-themed dipping assortment:  A tomato-based sauce, such as above, some pesto,  some dipping oil 
• Try something a little Asian: a spicy mayo (wasabi or sriracha mixed with light mayonnaise, or light mayonnaise and greek yogurt, to make it healthier), a soy sauce based dip: maybe some soy sauce, rice vinegar, minced garlic and ginger, and honey.
• Or a White Pizza Dip, like this one on How Sweet It Is.  I haven't actually tried it yet, but have eyed it before and it came to mind when I was thinking of other ideas for this eggplant.

Happy Creating!

Mediterranean Chicken and Roasted Vegetable Salad

Lately I've been on a serious roasted vegetable kick.  So this recipe is pretty similar to others I have posted recently, but has the significant addition of chicken.  No need for any sides other than maybe a little bread (though I did make a naan bread pizza with anchovies, fresh tomato, olives, and feta to accompany this for Rob).

Start by making the roasted veggies (these could even be made the day before and then stored in the fridge):

What you need:

A couple pounds of eggplant (maybe two medium- I used a variety of baby ones and part of a big one, because that's what I had), cut into 1-inch thick rounds
1/2 pound carrots or baby carrots- carrots should be cut into 1/8 inch slices and baby carrots cut in half if they are fat ones
1-2 red peppers, kept whole
1 medium onion, chopped roughly
1 pound cremini mushrooms, cleaned and kept whole

Heat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Spray two 13 x 9 pans with olive oil (or if you only have one, you can do this in batches, which is what I actually did).  Spread the eggplant and carrots across one pan, and the onion, red pepper, and mushrooms on the other.  Spray everything with olive oil and then season with salt and pepper.

Roast the eggplant pan for an hour and the other pan for 30 minutes.  If done, the vegetables should be soft and slightly browned.  Let cool and chop everything into bite sized pieces (make sure to remove the skin and seeds from the red pepper).  Place everything in a bowl.

For the rest of the salad:

1/2 pound- 1 pound cooked chicken, depending on how protein heavy you want it to be (see note below for cooking tips/ ideas)
1 cup sliced and quartered cucumber
1-2 cups cherry tomatoes, quartered
2 tablespoons capers
1/4 chopped Greek or Kalamata olives
1/2-1 cup chopped artichoke hearts (use the marinated ones if you don't mind the extra oil, or just the ones in brine, which is what I did)
4 anchovies, finely chopped
3-5 pickled jalapenos, chopped
1-2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon olive oil
Black pepper, garlic powder, oregano, basil, and salt to taste (I probably used about 2 teaspoons each black pepper, oregano, and basil.  A ton of garlic powder, and a just a bit of salt, because my chicken was already seasoned, as were the veggies from the oven)

Optional (I would have added all of these, but circumstances on Saba prevented me from doing so):
1 head of roasted garlic, with the garlic squeezed out
Fresh Basil leaves
Fresh arugula (add this at the very end)

Mix everything together, refrigerate for an hour or a few, and serve on a bed of lettuce.  Sprinkle a little feta cheese on top if ya like.  Enjoy!


*Making the chicken:

You can simply boil the chicken, use meat from a rotisserie chicken (though not if you live on Saba), use leftover grilled, or saute some up like I did.  I used boneless chicken tenderloins and cooked them whole, because they are small enough that this works.  If I use breasts, I cut them up first.  Just heat your pan, add a good spray of olive oil, and add the chicken after it heats a bit.  Add a bit of salt right from the get go, because this helps the meat cook.  I also seasoned with garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, poultry seasoning, and za'atar ( a Middle East spice mixture that I thought would work well with the rest of the salad).  When the chicken was almost done, I added a splash of white wine and lemon juice, turned down the heat to low, and covered it for the last couple minutes.  Once it's cooked, let it cool and cut into bite-sized pieces.

Roasted Vegetable Salad with Fresh Basil and Arugula

Mmmm... so tasty, so healthy, and simple to make.  It was a lovely side to the baby octopus I made, but would also make a nice light lunch or dinner on its own or with some bread or rice.  

What you need:

2 medium eggplants, cut into 1 inch thick rounds

2-3 cups cremini mushrooms

3 jalapeno peppers

1 small onion, cut into 1/4-1/2 inch wedges

cooking spray, salt, pepper

2-3 cups fresh arugula, chopped

1 cup fresh basil, chopped

2-3 small tomatoes, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces

1/4 cup (or more) seasoned rice vinegar

1 teaspoon EACH chili oil and sesame oil

1-2 teaspoons soy sauce

1-2 teaspoons fish sauce

1 tablespoon (or more if you're a garlic fiend like me) garlic powder

2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh ginger

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.  Spray two 13 x 9 pans with olive oil.  Spread the vegetables across the two pans (I filled one up with the eggplant and the other with the other vegetables.  That way you can easily leave the eggplant in longer).  Spray with olive oil and lightly season with salt and pepper.  Roast in the oven until softened, lightly browned, and cooked through.  This took about 20 minutes for the pan with the mushrooms, peppers, and onion, and between 45 minutes and an hour for the eggplant.  Let cool a bit, and then chop everything into bite sized chunks (except the mushrooms, which I like to leave whole).  Place the veggies in a large bowl and add the remaining ingredients.  Toss and let sit for 20 minutes (or more) before serving to let the flavors meld a bit.

Roasted Eggplant Salad with Asian Vinaigrette

A healthy, mouthwatering accompaniment to an Asian-themed dinner and the leftovers tasted even better the next day as a lunch.  In fact, I would even recommend making this the day before you want it (if you're able to plan that much in advance, which I am usually not).  The eggplant soaks up more of the dressing and the flavors meld and intensify.

I forgot to pay attention to how much of everything I was using, but I'll give my general estimates.  Make sure to taste test the vinaigrette before pouring over the eggplant and adjust if necessary.

To make the roasted vegetables:

What you need:

Eggplant, cut into 1 inch (or maybe even slightly thicker) rounds.  I used enough to almost cover the bottom of a 13 x 9 pan... probably 5 or 6 baby eggplant or 2 large ones

Jalapeno peppers- 4/5 

1 head of garlic, with the tip top cut off to just reveal the cloves.

Olive oil spray, salt, pepper

Heat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.  Spray a 13x9 pan with olive oil.  Spread the vegetables out on it.  Spray the tops of the vegetables with olive oil.  Season lightly with salt and pepper.  Roast in the oven for 30-45 minutes, or until vegetables are softened and lightly browned.  Remove from oven and allow to cool.  Once, they have cooled a bit, squeeze the garlic out and chop the jalapenos.  At this point, you can remove the skin the eggplant if you want, but I prefer to leave it on.  Place the eggplant in a bowl.  Reserve the jalapenos and garlic for the vinaigrette.

To make the vinaigrette:

What you need:  *Note: these are really just estimates.  I'd say the proportions are pretty accurate, but I'm not sure about the amounts, so you may need to add a little more of everything to get enough to coat the eggplant.

1 tablespoon (or more) soy sauce

juice of a lime

1/4 cup (or more) seasoned rice vinegar

1 teaspoon sesame oil

1 teaspoon chili oil

1 tablespoon sweet chili lime sauce/ marinade

2 teaspoons Huy Fong chili garlic paste (this is pretty spicy, so use less if you don't like spicy)

1 teaspoon black pepper

Garlic Powder (optional, if you really like garlic)

1 roasted head of garlic, cloves squeezed out and chopped (from above)

Roasted jalapeno peppers, chopped roughly (from above)

Mix everything together.  Pour over eggplant and let sit for at least 30 minutes, but preferably much longer (like I said, it was definitely even better the next day).  Enjoy!

Eggplant Curry

This is a delicious, super healthy vegetable curry that can serve either as a side dish or light but filling main course.  I serve it for myself over a bed of lettuce with plain yogurt on the side, but rice would also work wonderfully as a base.  Or just use as a dip for pita chips or naan bread.

What you need:

1 large eggplant
1 medium-large onion, chopped up
1 stalk of celery, sliced
1-2 inch piece ginger, sliced thinly
2-3 hot peppers of your choice, sliced thinly
2-3 tablespoons curry powder (or use a mix of tumeric, coriander, garam marsala, cumin)
1-2 teaspoons fennel seeds
2 bay leaves
Other vegetables (optional, see note at bottom)
Ketjap Manis or soy sauce
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon fish sauce
1-2 cups milk of choice (Sometimes I just go with regular lowfat milk, other times I use a little coconut milk and part almond milk)
2-3 teaspoons Tahini


Start by roasting the eggplant:

Heat the oven to 425 F and poke a few holes in the eggplant (or else it can explode all over your oven, as I've discovered)  Roast the eggplant for about 25 minutes, or until it is all soft.  Remove from oven, let cool, peel off the skin, and chop the mushy meat of it up.  Before chopping, you can take out some of the seeds from the middle if you want.


Now for the rest of the curry:

Spray a frying pan with oil and add the onion, celery, ginger, peppers, curry powder/ other spice blend, and fennel seeds.  Let the spices toast a bit as you stir the vegetables around the pan.  Add more oil if you feel inclined (this will make this step easier because you won't have to worry as much about burning, but I like to use minimal oil to cut fat).  After everything has browned a bit, add a generous splash of Ketjap Manis or soy sauce and the garlic powder, stir, and let cook for another minute or two.  Add the bay leaves, milk, and tahini.  Let simmer for 5-10 minutes.   You may need to add a little extra water or milk depending on how much vegetable matter you have- the consistency should be pretty thick, but still saucy.  Enjoy!


*Every time I make this, I use a slightly different mix of vegetables, depending on what I have on hand.  You can try adding in chopped bell peppers or leeks at the same point that you add the Ketjap Manis.  Or add mushrooms or tomatoes at the same point as the milk.  Or throw in some roasted pumpkin (a personal favorite).  If you add a bunch more vegetables, just adjust the other seasonings to taste.